Infant Membership. See MEJinEitsini- in the Chhistian ('ninrn. Infant Regeneration. See Regenei?ation. Infant Salvation. On this question most Chris- tians will agree with the following statements: "The great consideration which leads to a solution of the case of persons dying in infancy is found in Rom. v, 18, 'Therefore, as by the offense of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so, by the right- eousness of one, the free gift came upon all men im'.o justification of life.' In these words, the sin of Adam and the merits of Christ are pronounced to be co-exten- sive; the words applied to both are precisely the same, ^judgment came upon all men,' ' Ih^free (jift came upon
all men." If the whole human race be meant in the for- mer clause, the whole human race is meant in the latter also ; and it follows that as all are injured by the offence of Adam, so aU are benefited by the obedience of Christ. Whatever, therefore, that benefit may be, all children dying in infancy must partake of it, or there would be a large portion of the human race iqjon whom the ' free gift,' the effects of ' the righteousness of one,' did not ' come,' which is contrary to the apostle's words" (Wat- son, Institutes, ii, 57).
" Theologians have pursued two different methods in treating of this subject, (a.) Some are content with saying that God will pardon and save infants on account of the merits of Christ, which extend to all, although they may not have believed in Christ during their life- time; and that their being born with natiu-al depravity will not harm tliem, because they themselves are not to blame for it. These writers refer to Rom. v, 15-17 for an analogous proceeding. This is the most simple and safest view, (h.) Others, misunderstanding the passage Mark xvi. 16, suppose that faith in Christ is an indis- pensable requisite for salvation in all men, and have therefore (together with some schoolmen) embraced the doctrine of a. faith of infants, which they have variously explained and described as fides jyrcesumpta, implicita, pe)- baptismum sine verba (some say sine cognitione) in- fiisa ; talis affectio in infante quails Deo placeat. The schoolmen describe it as dispositio ad justitiam. But none of them succeed in conveying any intelligible idea. Nothing is said in the N. T. about such a faith. Faith always presupposes knowledge and power to exercise the understanding. Now, since children have neither of these requisites, faith cannot be ascribed to them ; nor, indeed, disbelief unless the word is used verj' improper- ly. The mere want of faith is not damnable, but unbe- lief onlj', or the guilty destitution of faith. Those who have adopted this view have thus been compelled (as appears from the preceding remarks) to vary the idea which is uniformly attached to the word _/(////; where adults are referred to, as soon as they speak of children, and call something in them by this name which is no- where else so denominated. The passage Matt, xviii, 6, does not bear upon this point, since the disciples of Christ are there meant. See Baptism. From the words of Christ, howe\'er, IMatt. xix, 14, ' Of such is the kingdom of God,' it is clear that he considers children as belonging to his kingdom. And this is enough" (Knapp, Theology, p. 423).
Calvin, who laid particular stress on infant bajitism in harmony with the other leading reformers, held that " it is no small injustice to the covenant of God if we do not rely upon it as sufficient of itself, since the fulfilment depends not on baptism or anything adventitious. It is alleged there is danger lest a cliild who is sick, and dies without baptism, should be deprived of the grace of regeneration. This I can by no means admit. God pronounces that he adopts our infants as his chiklren be- fore the)' are born, when he promises that he will be a (iod to us, and to our seed after us. This promise in- cludes their salvation. Nor will any dare to offer such an insult to God as to deny the sufficiency of his prom- ise to insure its own accomplishment. The reception of an opinion, that all who ha]i|icn to die without bap- tism are lost, makes our condition worse than that of the ancient Israelites, as though the grace of God were more restricted now than it was under law; it leads to the conohision that Christ came, not to fulfil the prom- ises, but to abolish them ; since the promise, which at that time was of itself sufficiently efficacious to insure salvation before the eighth day, ^vould have no validity now without the assistance of the sign." What Calvin here says is so clear, positive, and decided, and so en- tirely free from the least ambiguity, that he cannot be misunderstood.
Of late years a controversy has arisen in the " Re- formed Church" as to the doctrines which she really jiro- inulgates on this point, and, as a result, we think we
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may justly send forth the following: "We still hold on to the old faith of the Church, that the sacraments are sealimj ordinances, and feel as contident as ever that (iod will remain true to his promise, and save the children of the covenant, though they shoidd die without its seal." Indeed, it seems almost impossible for the " Re- formed Church" to take any other ground, since one of her founders and great theological teachers, Ursinus, held not only in the case of infants, but also in the case of all God's reasoning creatures, that " not all those who are not baptized are excluded from the grace of Christ; for not the want, but the contempt of baj^tism, excludes men from the covenant of God, made with the faithful and their children." (Compare articles in the Jicf. Ch. Messenger, March 4, 1868 ; March 11, 1868).